


never will i leave you

by lordyuuri



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: 1000 Words Challenge, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxious Leon, Close Calls, Gen, Gym Leaders & Protags are mentioned, I live for Protective Big Bro Leon okay, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Protective Older Brothers, Protectiveness, Zombie Apocalypse, but they don't actually appear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:02:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26416888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordyuuri/pseuds/lordyuuri
Summary: He sees Hop grinning, his Dubwool and Corviknight chasing after a ball. He sees amber eyes that sparkle.And then, he hears screaming (loud so loud); he smells fire (everything's burning they're burning); he sees Hop and his outstretched hand, rotten hands grabbing onto his brother and pulling him closer to their rotten teeth no no no –It's hard to survive in a world that has been lost.It's harder to keep from losing the ones you love.
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Hop
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	never will i leave you

**Author's Note:**

> For a 1,000 words flash challenge on the Pokémon Amino. I was given the word "survive" and this was the best I could come up with in a 1,000 words or less. I tried lol.

It's still dark out when Leon wakes up. He gets up on his accord – he lost his Rotom Phone a while back, and the chirping of bird Pokémon has been lost for even longer.

His blinks, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He makes out the various shadowy shapes in his room: strewn caps, a tipped-over chair. Items that remained unmoved ever since The Incident.

His stuff is already gathered; he's been planning this departure for two weeks now. The creatures have gotten closer to them now. Leon guesses that they're coming from Wedgehurst, trickling down Route 1. He'd rather not be here when they gather in Postwick.

He grabs his bag, slinging it around his shoulder and walks out of his room and towards Hop's. The door's slightly ajar, and Leon pushes it open softly, revealing Charizard sleeping at the foot of Hop's bed. The Pokémon stirs awake, letting out a low, warm noise. 

Leon smiles, whispers "Hey, Charizard" while he moves to his brother's bed. Hop is sleeping soundly, one hand clutching onto the wool of his Dubwool. On any other day, he'd let Hop sleep in, but the world doesn't allow for such luxuries anymore. He puts his hand on Hop's shoulder and slowly rocks him onto the younger boy cracks open his eyes.

"Wake up, Hop. We gotta go."

"Do we have to, Lee?"

"Yeah. It's not safe here anymore."

"It's not safe anywhere, Lee."

Leon stays silent, opting to pull Hop into a hug.

"I'll keep you safe. I promise." They say like that until Leon gently moves Hop back and tells him to get ready. The boy does so, packing as much cherished memories as he can, and nods to his brother when he's done.

They say goodbye to their rooms. They say goodbye to their mother and grandparents that lie amongst their backyard's roses and peonies.

They say goodbye to Postwick.

* * *

Tall grass is their friend. They move past still bodies and groaning figures; past large crowds and trapped stragglers.

They learned long ago to stay quiet.

* * *

They find an abandoned house to stay the night in. They chose the room with the least damage (with the least bloodstains). They barricade the doors and windows."

"Do you think we'll find everyone again, Lee? I miss Rai." Hop is hanging a sheet over a window, covering torn curtains. The more hidden they are, the better.

"I miss him, too," Leon says, smiling. "He's got the fierceness of a dragon, ya know? He's alright."

_(He has to be alright.)_

"If I see Gloria and Victor again, I'll hug them. I'll hug them so tight and never let them go."

"When," Leon corrects.

"Huh?" 

"When," he repeats. There's conviction in his voice, a sense of hope. _If you don't believe it, Leon, Hop won't._ "When you'll see them again. Because you will. I'll make sure of that."

"Yeah. When. When I'll see them again," Hop says, voice low and soft.

There's a silence that falls between them. Leon mouths his words to himself. If he says them enough, will they come true?

* * *

When Leon sleeps, he dreams of sunny days and robust battles. The sound of Raihan's laughter plays in his head over and over, like a broken record player. _You won't win next time, Leon._ He sees the elegance that is Nessa, the rebellion that is Piers. He sees the strength that is Bea, and that is Milo.

He sees the joy that is Sonia. Her smile, her pouts.

He sees Hop grinning, his Dubwool and Corviknight chasing after a ball. He sees amber eyes that sparkle.

And then, he hears screaming (loud so loud); he smells fire (everything's burning they're burning); he sees Hop and his outstretched hand, rotten hands grabbing onto his brother and pulling him closer to their rotten teeth no no _no_ –

Leon's eyes shoot open and he clutches his shirt. Rotom would've voiced its worries about his increased heartbeat.

He turns his head to the side, not bothering to move strands of violet out his eyes, to see Hop sleeping peacefully. _He's still here_ , Leon thinks to himself. _He's right here._

(He holds onto his brother's hand just to make sure.)

* * *

Daytime is the safest, but it's always the unexpected that hits them the hardest. It's the unexpected that scares Leon the most.

There should've never been this many, but yet here they were, separating Leon from Hop and Charizard. Leon screams out orders, moves towards his brother and Pokémon with reckless abandon. The horde moves closer, moaning and growling and there are tears that stream down Leon's face, hot and burning, and then –

Then, there are flames, followed by howls and roars. Leon watches as people that once lived scream in what presumes to be agony. In the midst of bright orange, red, and yellow, Leon sees two flying figures.

The creatures crinkle and crumble, rotten skin turning into liquid and ash.

Soon the screams stop. Charizard has its wings around Hop, shielding the boy from the embers.

Leon calls out, weakly, to them. He just now realizes that his throat is sore. It feels like he has swallowed glass shards.

Charizard's wings open up and, for a moment, Hop doesn't leave the comfort of the Pokémon, trembling against Charizard's embrace. It takes him a moment to even look in Leon's direction. He dashes to his older brother, running past and leaping over what once moved, and jumps into Leon's arms.

"Hop! I-it's okay. You're okay now." 

He strokes Hop's hair, holding him close and tight as his brother sobs. Charizard flies up to them, curls close next to the brothers. 

Leon fails to hold back his own tears, droplets falling onto the fur on Hop's jacket. The fear of the close call still resides in him. How long can they keep this up, he wonders as his heart aches and his body shakes.

_How long can they survive?_

**Author's Note:**

> Ya know, I should probably add more than one chapter to that other zombie fic I started that also has Leon and Hop as the main characters, attempting to survive the hell that has befallen their Galar region.
> 
> I probably should, ya know?


End file.
